The next day, Harry did not get up particularly early. For one thing, he had been truly exhausted yesterday; for another, he had tossed and turned last night, thinking about all those confusing questions, and had not fallen asleep until very late.
Even so, Ron was still asleep when Harry got up. Yesterday really seemed to have worn him out.
Harry did not wake Ron. Instead, he gathered his homework, textbooks, and parchment and headed to the library. He had wasted the entire previous evening at Lockhart's and had not done any homework at all.
Just thinking about it made him feel a little overwhelmed.
When Harry arrived at the library, he was unsurprised to find Hermione and Padma already there. The difference was that Hermione was alone in a secluded corner, while Padma was sitting with a girl friend-Sally Turpin.
Unless they were tutoring Harry and Ron together, Padma and Hermione would not sit together, even though they got along reasonably well. This was mainly because of Hermione, who always seemed rather solitary. Besides, having come from a non-wizarding family, she had little to talk about with Padma, Turpin, and the others. When the girls chatted, she often could not get a word in.
Harry hesitated, then went to sit beside Padma rather than going over to Hermione.
This was unusual. When he was on his own, Harry was more likely to seek out Hermione. Both Padma and Turpin were therefore briefly taken aback. Then Turpin began winking and making faces at Padma, making her blush a little.
Fortunately, as an Asian, Padma did not have skin as pale as a European's, so the slight flush was not particularly noticeable.
"Good morning, Padma. Good morning, Turpin," Harry greeted the two girls.
"Well, well," Sally Turpin said with a quiet